The holiday season and the NBA go hand in hand as The Association always loads up with an excellent Christmas slate.
This year’s slate features the reigning champion Warriors and an Eastern Conference semifinals rematch between the Bucks and Celtics. LeBron James, Luka Doncic and Ja Morant will also be among those in action next Sunday.
Christmas is still more than a week away, though, and there are plenty of games to bet on both before and after the holiday. While the Eastern Conference is led by the expected juggernauts, the Western Conference has been more unpredictable.
Here are five games worth betting on before the year ends.
Dec. 17: New Orleans Pelicans at Phoenix Suns
This is a must-watch game considering the bad blood between these teams.
Zion Williamson‘s last-second dunk in a 128-117 win Dec. 9 did not sit well with the Sunsbut the Pelicans beat them again two days later.
Now, the teams shift to the desert. Perhaps the Suns can get some revenge against the second-place team in the Western Conference.
The Suns are 15-13 against the spread (ATS), while the Pelicans are 15-14. Phoenix’s games go under the post total more often than not, while New Orleans’s favor the over.
Dec. 19: Milwaukee Bucks at New Orleans Pelicans
The Pelicans’ ascension has created plenty of intriguing matchups, including this one pitting Zion against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks.
The Bucks are their usual dominant selves but only second in the Eastern Conference due to Boston’s dominance.
This big-man battle between Zion and Giannis is worth the price of admission. Milwaukee is 15-11-2 ATS this year and 14-14 against the projected total.
Dec. 25: Milwaukee Bucks at Boston Celtics
This is the main event of the NBA’s Christmas slate, pitting the Eastern Conference’s two best teams against each other in a playoffs rematch.
The Celtics defeated the Bucks in seven games last year in the Eastern Conference semifinals and could be even better this year, while the Bucks have Chris Middleton back in the fold after he missed last year’s series versus Boston.
This is the first meeting between the teams this season and should provide a good look into whether the adjustments on both sides have paid dividends.
Boston is 18-11 ATS, the third-best mark in the NBA.
Dec. 25: Memphis Grizzlies at Golden State Warriors
The Grizzlies did a lot of talking last year and the Warriors promptly bounced them from the playoffs.
Memphis is proving last year’s run to the 2nd seed was no fluke by owning the Western Conference’s best record after dismantling the Bucks on Thursday.
This will be a good opportunity for the Grizzlies to exact revenge in prime time against a Warriors team that is now without Steph Curry.
The Warriors are just 13-16 ATS and both teams’ games often go over with Golden State posting a 16-12-1 mark and Memphis going 14-13-1.
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Dec. 31: New Orleans Pelicans at Memphis Grizzlies
The year closes out with the Western Conference’s top two teams clashing in Memphis. While many expected Memphis to be strong again, New Orleans’ rise has been more unexpected and changes the Western Conference’s outlook.
This is the third meeting between the teams and each has won and covered at home. The first matchup went under the total while the second went over.
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